Roasted Peppers

I'd only heard about roasted red peppers and how tasty and versatile they were, but I'd never had any before. So, when we ended up with 6 red bell peppers (for $2!), I thought I could make some roasted red peppers. Now, there's a whole range of different methods for making these roasted red peppers. Obviously, you could roast them in an oven, but you can also broil them, grill them, or even char them over a flame. I found that broiling was the tastiest and easiest method for me. I imagine grilling would also be quite flavorful, but unfortunately, I don't have access to a grill. :( Once the skins are charred, just enclose them so that the steam can loosen the skin from the flesh. I've heard of using plastic bags or brown paper bags, but being more  lazy  efficient, I prefer to cover the baking/broiling container with a silpat or silicon mat. Keeping them enclosed allows steam to do all the hard work of separating the skin from the flesh. In addition, this step allows the peppers to cool down a bit so you don't have to get burnt removing the skins!

Roasted Peppers

by CJ Huang

A quick and easy way to make your own roasted peppers - just peel off the charred skin, and you'll find a sweet and tender flesh with just a hint of smokiness.

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
				bell peppers
				seasonings	optional

Methods:

1. Cut off top of pepper. I like to cut as close to the stem as I can while maintaining a straight piece of pepper at the end.
2. Remove seeds/membranes.
3. Slice down to bottom, and cut off end slightly, if necessary to allow pepper slice to lay flat.
4. Arrange pepper slices, skin side up and roast or broil about 10 minutes, until skin is charred. You might hear some popping during this step - don't be alarmed! :)
   OR
   Place pepper slices, skin side down over gas stove, directly over flame, and char skin.
   OR
   Grill peppers. (If using this method, using whole peppers might be easier. I can't really say either way since I don't have a grill.)
5. Remove from heat and enclose peppers approximately 10 minutes.
6. Remove charred skins.